Does anyone end up with spoilt hay in the field?

[alisonduke]

Every year I get moaned at for wasting hay.
I put it in the field but when the weather is bad it gets wet and frozen and then won't be eaten.
I just wondered if I put too much out or whether others have this problem.

[valerie n scout]

my 2 are a pair of "wasters" they leave it the stable too..think I give them too much xx

[zeldalithgow]

Yes if I feed it on the ground not so bad if I put it in the tractor tyre and better if I use haynets.

[knight]

Yes, mine are awful hay wasters if fed on the ground. And I hate cleaning up all that mess of what had been good hay I paid good money for. So I have to use some sort of containers whether in the field or stable. And still the first thing Knight does is to use his head to throw out a good batch on the ground if he can.

[DalesLady]

the outside mares are worse for it, the little geldings don't waste anything

[valerie n scout]

Isn't that funny Penny,wish my "geldings" were as frugal ..gitz x

[harveydales]

I do get some wasted hay, usually due to them pooing and peeing on it. I suppose something like a hayhutch or one of those metal hay holder things would stop this but then you'd get awful poaching in the area.

[harleydales]

Not really! I must be tight and not give them much - if they leave any one day they get less at the next feed!
I tend to feed on the floor near the fence so they can't lie on it, and when it's windy I use nets.

The sheep are worse than the horses for wasting

[greydales]

Well all mine hang around the gate telling me they are starving (when it's frosty or icy etc), but when I've put some hay/haylage down they will walk on it, paw at it, turn their noses up so sod 'em LOL!!!

I give them the bare minimum as they are ridiculously fat at the mo and I really need them to drop some weight urgently!

[Debbie]

I use hay troughs (ie water troughs that have sprung a leak, but I don't want to throw them away, so they get reused to hold hay ;D ) Blossom's I just chuck on the ground, though. She hoovers everything up. As in, puts head down, and doesn't come up for air until anything remotely resembling food is gone.

Galahad who's now missing his teeth fusses with his. He'll toss it about and pick at it, but he likes having it there to suck on all the same. If I put it on the ground for him, he will pee and pooh on it. Actually Blossom will too if I've given her too much, so she gets less and fewer feedings.

[The Moo]

I've recently bought mine two hay hutches, one for each end of the field, cost a fortune but no more wasted hay.